


Going to the Future With Steve and Bucky

by GingerAnn



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Almost MCU canon compliant, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Humor, Just with Bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-07-21 15:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7393363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerAnn/pseuds/GingerAnn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky and Steve made the promise to be friends till the end of the line, they never thought that Bucky would almost fall out of a train. Or that they would crash a plane in an ocean to save the world only to survive and wake up almost 70 years later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That's A Swell Idea, Bucky

Bucky felt the bar he was holding start to give. His hands were already slipping.

“Bucky!” Steve yelled from the hole in the side of the train.

He was going to fall.

He was going to fall and die.

He hoped he died on impact. Or had a heart attack on the way down. Something. It would be horrible to lay there freezing to death.

Bucky looked over to see Steve inching closer to where Bucky was hanging on. Steve had his arm stretched out trying to reach Bucky. He reached for Steve’s hand. Their fingers barely touched.

Bucky was scared.

No. He wasn’t scared.

He was fucking terrified.

Steve was still reaching for Bucky so he tried again to grab Steve’s hand. Thankfully, by some miracle, their hands connected. The bar Bucky was holding came free as Steve pulled Bucky to him. The two of them made their way back into the train car.

“That was close,” Steve said. He was bent over, hands on his knees, and breathing heavily.

“Too fucking close,” Bucky agreed leaning against the wall.

Steve picked up his shield while Bucky searched for any weapons laying around. He picked up a pistol, grinning when he realized it was Steve’s.

“Found your pistol!” He called to Steve.

“I’ll get back from you when this is over,” Steve said.

“Okay. Let’s go get this asshole,” Bucky said with a nod.

“Remember what Phillips said. We gotta bring Zola in alive,” Steve said as they walked through the train cars.

“Fine. I won’t shoot the piece of shit in the face. Can I dangle him from the train?”

“No, Bucky.”

“It’s always ‘no, Bucky’ with you. It’s never ‘That’s a swell idea, Bucky.’”

“Maybe if you would have a swell idea I would tell you that,” Steve said shooting his friend a grin.

The two met up with Gabe and Dum Dum.

“What was all that noise back there?” Dum Dum asked.

“Hydra didn’t like my face so they tried to throw me off the train,” Bucky replied.

“They’re always so extreme. Couldn’t they have just made you put a sack over that ugly mug like we do?” Dum Dum said with a grin.

“If you two are done, how about we finish this mission?” Steve questioned. The grin he was wearing took most of the authority out of his words, though.

“Fine,” Bucky said with an exaggerated sigh.

They opened the door to the next car and found Zola trying to hide.

“End of the line,” Steve said as Bucky aimed his gun at Zola.

Zola looked up and looked at the two men standing there. His eyes stopped on Bucky and he smiled.

“Ah, Sergeant Barnes, it is nice to see you again,” he said.

Bucky flinched when Zola started talking but kept the gun aimed.

“I just gotta bring you in alive. Want to see what you can live through?” Bucky asked with a smile.

Zola flinched. Bucky wasn’t sure if it was because of what he said or the look on his face. Zola raised his hands above his head.

“Secure him,” Steve said to Gabe and Dum Dum. “Come on, Buck, we need to let the others know we got him.”

Bucky glared at Zola as he followed Steve from the car. He was holding the pistol loosely at his side. His free hand was clenched in a fist. He wanted to go back and shoot Zola. Wanted to hurt the man. He knew why they needed him alive, but Bucky just wanted him to suffer. To suffer like he made Bucky suffer.

“Afraid to leave me alone with him?” Bucky asked trying to make a joke, but it fell flat.

“Just a little,” Steve replied.

“Yeah. That’s probably for the best,” Bucky whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I heard we almost lost you, Sergeant,” Peggy said.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily,” Bucky said with a smile. “Hydra keeps trying and I keep coming back for more.”

“Only you would joke about almost dying,” Steve said glaring at Bucky.

“I’m sure someone else would joke about it, Stevie,” Bucky said with a grin. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a date. I think.”

He patted Steve on the shoulder, winked at Peggy and walked away.

“Are you okay?” Peggy asked Steve.

“Just getting tired of almost losing my best friend,” Steve replied.

Bucky walked through the camp. He smiled and greeted almost everyone he passed. Trying to ignore the fact that he could still hear Steve and Peggy talking.

Things like that have been happening more and more. He could hear better. See better. His reaction time was faster. He didn’t need as much sleep. He healed faster.

He didn’t want to think about what that meant. Which was why he hadn’t told anyone. Not even Steve.

“Well, hello, Sergeant,” a voice said pulling him from his thoughts.

“Hello, Rita,” Bucky said giving her a smile. He could spend another night ignoring things. Especially if he had a pretty girl to distract him.


	2. That's a Horrible Plan, Steve

"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug-house," Phillips said. "He thinks he's a god and he's willing to blow half the world to prove it. Starting with the USA."

"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour," Howard added. He sat down beside Bucky.

Everyone got quiet.

"How much time we got?" Gabe asked.

"According to my new best friend, under 24 hours," Phillips replied.

"Where is he now?" Morita asked.

"Hydra's last base is here," Phillips said holding up a picture. "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."

"What are we supposed to do?" Dum Dum asked.

"I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door," Morita added.

"Why not?" Steve asked.

"Because that's a horrible plan, Steve," Bucky said.

"That's exactly what we're going to do," Steve said, ignoring Bucky.

"I can come up with a very long list of reasons why that is a horrible plan," Bucky said.

"I don't think anyone cares about your list, Barnes," Dernier said.

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna shut up about it," Bucky replied.

"I can go in by the front. Be a distraction," Steve said standing up.

Phillips spread a crudely drawn map of the base out on the table.

"That might just work, Rogers," he said. He pointed to a spot on the map. "Zola said this is where Schmidt likes to... I don't know what. Show off, mostly. There is a big window that looks out onto a mountain side."

"A group of the Commandos can set up there," Steve said. "And zip-line in."

"I hate this plan," Bucky said.

"It's a good plan," Falsworth said.

"Fine, it's a good plan. I still hate it," Bucky said.

"Your hatred of the good plan has been noted, Barnes. Noted and ignored," Phillips said.

"Okay, let's get going then," Bucky said clapping his hands together.

As they all left the room, Agent Carter walked beside Bucky.

"For the record, I hate the plan as well," she said softly.

"Well, that's cause you were the smartest person in that room, Dollface," Bucky replied.

"Always the flatterer," she said with a smile. Bucky couldn't help smiling back.

He was the only person that got away with calling Peggy Carter Dollface. Only because Steve told her that Bucky called his younger sister Dollface and no one else. And after Bucky spent an hour gushing about his smart, funny, brave, short-tempered, no-nonsense sister, Peggy let him call her Dollface. As long as he didn't do it too often and just around the Commandos.

Hours later Bucky was watching things play out on his sniper rifle scope.

Gabe, Falsworth and Dum Dum were beside Bucky. They were all on their stomachs watching the window. They were all quiet. Bucky was in charge of this team. Morita and Dernier were in charge of a small group of soldiers that were going to blast their way into the base.

Bucky spotted two Hydra goons drag Steve into the large room. He watched as Schmidt talked for a few seconds. And he flinched when Schmidt hit Steve. When he seen the gun he knew it was time to go.

"Okay boys, time to go," Bucky said jumping to his feet.

They were up and through the window within 30 seconds. Guns blazing.

"Rogers! You might need this!" Falsworth called, tossing Steve the shield.

"Thanks!" Steve yelled grabbing the shield from the air. Bucky followed him through a door. The two of them ran down hallways following Schmidt.

Steve tossed his shield to hold a door open.

"Show off," Bucky muttered.

A Hydra goon walked around the corner with a flamethrower.

"Fuck!" Bucky yelled taking cover.

"Language!" Steve said.

"Don't even start, Rogers!" Bucky said.

They heard gunshots and then a loud thump. They both peered around their cover to see the Hydra agent on the floor.

Soldiers from their side moved down the hallway. Steve jogged over to where Peggy was standing.

"You're late," he said.

He took a step closer to her and smiled.

"Weren't you about to..." Peggy began.

"Right," Steve said before running off.

"He's an idiot and it is perfectly okay for you to kiss him first," Bucky said as he jogged past her.

He caught up to Steve.

"If you were looking for an opportunity to kiss her, that was it," Bucky said before ducking under the shield to get through the door.

Steve didn't say anything as he pulled the shield out and followed.

They ran into the hanger and looked around. There were soldiers and Hydra agents fighting throughout.

"He's there," Steve said pointing to the plane that was starting to take off.

"Then we need to be there," Bucky replied.

The two of them began fighting their way to the Valkyrie.

They were both running full force, but it still wasn't enough. As they slowed down, Phillips and Peggy pulled up in a car.

"Get in!" Phillips yelled.

They wasted no time following his order and climbed into the car. Bucky was crammed beside of Peggy as Phillips sped down the runway.

As they got closer Steve stood up.

"Keep it steady!" He told Phillips.

"Wait!" Peggy yelled. She grabbed the front of Steve's uniform and pulled him closer. She kissed him. "Go get him," she said afterwards.

Steve looked at Phillips.

"I'm not kissing you," Phillips shaking his head.

Steve looked back at Bucky, who was standing up.

"Not gonna happen, Rogers," Bucky said. "Now go, we have an asshole to stop."

They both climbed across the front of the car and jumped onto the landing gear for the plane.

Bucky was so thankful when they got inside the plane that he almost dropped and kissed the floor.

"What are those?" Bucky asked as they looked around. There were small aircrafts with US city names written on them. "Bombs?"

"Yeah," Steve said.

They heard the Hydra agents before they seen them.

Bucky spotted the agent going for a bomb.

"Steve!" Bucky yelled as he fought another agent.

Steve ran over and pushed some buttons and pulled a lever. Which resulted in the bomb dropping out of the plane. Soon followed by the agent.

"Not what I was hoping you would do," Bucky yelled.

Steve fought two more agents, throwing one out of the open hole. The other agent climbed into one of the crafts with a bomb.

"I'm really starting to hate these guys!" Bucky yelled.

"Me too!" Steve yelled back, jumping on the bomb. He tried to get the hatch open with his shield, but another agent tackled him. And then the craft, with Steve and the other agent on it, all dropped through the open hatch.

"Steve!" Bucky yelled. He turned around a few times, ready to punch out a few more Hydra agents, but there were none left. "Fuck!" He yelled.

He found Steve's shield and picked it up. He was still trying to decide what to do when he heard a crash. He turned to see Steve hopping out of the aircraft.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Bucky asked handing him the shield.

"I've had better rides," Steve replied.

They continued through the Valkyrie. Coming across no more agents.

"Am I allowed to shoot Schmidt in the face?" Bucky asked.

"Well, no one told me we had to bring him in alive," Steve replied.

"Good, because this guy is really getting on my nerves," Bucky said.

They quietly stepped through a door leading to the bridge. They snuck around, trying to find where Schmidt was hiding.

They both heard the weapon powering up from behind them and turned. Steve held his shield up while Bucky held up his pistol.

"You don't give up, do you?" Schmidt asked.

"Nope," Steve replied before running toward him.

Bucky fired off a few shots, not taking the time to even aim. Most of the shots missed. But they worked at distracting Schmidt enough so Steve could get to him without getting shot.

Bucky watched the fight, waiting for a clear shot at Schmidt. Which he thought would be easier since he was aiming for a bright red skull.

Steve slammed Schmidt into the console, which resulted in the plane nosediving.

"Fuck!" Bucky screamed as him and Steve got slammed into the ceiling.

Schmidt dove after Steve. Soon, all three of them were wrestling on the ceiling of the plane.

Schmidt kicked both of them away, where they slammed into a wall.

"Ouch," Bucky groaned.

"You okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Bucky replied.

Suddenly, they were dropped back onto the floor. Steve landed on Bucky.

Steve got up.

"I'll be just a second," Bucky said. Having Captain America fall on you full force was not something he would recommend to anyone. "I just need to remember how to breathe."

"You could have the power of the gods!" Schmidt yelled. "Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future, Captain! There are no flags!"

"Not my future!" Steve yelled. He was now across the room from where Bucky was. And Bucky was slowly starting to stand up. 

Bucky was finally standing when Steve threw his shield at Schmidt. It propelled Schmidt into something which resulted in a bright blue light.

"What have you done?" Schmidt asked staggering up. He picked up a glowing blue cube. "No!"

Lights began shooting out of the cube. Bucky swore part of the plane disappeared and he could see stars. He moved to where Steve was. They stood there and watched as Schmidt disappeared in a flash of light.

"What the hell just happened?" Bucky asked.

"I have no idea," Steve replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took forever to get this chapter done. I kept thinking about just weaseling out of it and skipping forward a bit, but decided against it. Okay, mostly my friend said it would be lazy and I didn't want to get lazy on this. Writing fight scenes isn't what I'm best at so I did gloss over those a bit.   
> Hopefully the next chapter will be done and posted soon.


	3. Steve and Bucky Tuck In For An Ice Nap

Steve sat down in the pilot's chair and looked at all the switches and buttons.

"I don't think we're gonna get out of this one, Buck," he said.

Bucky was strapping himself into another chair. He looked back at Steve. The other man's eyes were wide and he was chewing on his bottom lip.

"Do what you need to do, Steve," Bucky said. "I'm with ya til the end of the line."

Steve nodded before hitting the button for the radio.

"Come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?" He said.

"Captain Rogers, what is your..." Morita's voice came through the small speakers.

"Steve, is that you? Are you two all right?" Peggy's voice interrupts.

"Peggy, Schmidt's dead!" Steve almost shouted.

"What about the plane?" She asked.

"That's a little bit tougher to explain," Steve said.

"Give me your coordinates. I'll find you a safe landing site," Peggy said.

"There's not going to be a safe landing," Steve said with a sigh. "But I can try and force it down."

"I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do," Peggy said.

"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York," Steve said. "I gotta put her in the water."

"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out," Peggy said. Bucky heard her voice crack.

"Right now we're in the middle of nowhere," Steve said. "If we wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die." Steve paused before he continued. "Peggy, this is my choice," he gave Bucky a quick look. "Our choice."

Bucky turned to look out the windows. He didn't want Steve to see how scared he was, and he knew Steve didn't want Bucky to see how terrified he was. He closed his eyes and thought about his family. Of the Howling Commandos, the greatest bunch of guys he'd ever known. He thought of Peggy. He even thought of Phillips. Anything but the fact that Steve just put the plane into a nosedive.

"Peggy?" Steve whispered.

"I'm here," she replied.

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance," he said.

Bucky opened his eyes and watched the ice covered water get closer. He wanted to scream. Not because he was afraid of dying. He was, but that didn't make him want to scream. He wanted to scream because it wasn't fair. Steve finally found a dame that was worthy of him. That appreciated who he was. And now he wasn't going to get to be with her. Bucky should have left Steve back at the Hydra base with her. He could have handled Schmidt.

"All right," she replied. "A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."

"You got it," Steve said.

"Eight o' clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"

"You know, I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll show you how. Just be there."

"We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your..."

The Valkyrie crashed into the ice and everything went black.


	4. Steve, What the Hell?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky wake up after their 70 year nap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to anyone reading this about taking so long to update. Real life has been kicking my ass. Hopefully, the next update won't take as long.
> 
> And I'm using a timeline I found on the Marvel Cinematic Universe wiki so if any dates seem wrong, blame them.

Bucky woke up with a jerk.

Where was he? The last thing he remembered, Steve was crashing a plane into the ocean. Where was Steve?

Okay. Priorities. Figure out where the fuck he was. Find Steve. Find weapons.

Bucky looked around the small room. He was alone. The room was plain, no decorations on the walls jus a bed, stand, lamp, and radio. A baseball game was on the radio. He was listening to the game when two bodies broke through a wall.

Bucky jumped onto the bed, ready to fight. Steve walked through the new hole in the wall.

“Bucky, thank God,” Steve sighed.

“Steve, what the hell? You broke my wall,” Bucky said hopping down from the bed.

“Come on. We’re getting out of here,” Steve said.

Bucky nodded and followed Steve, who ran through another wall, making another hole.

“There was a door, Steve!” Bucky yelled as they ran through a building.

There were people in suits walking through the halls. Steve and Bucky shoved their way through until they were outside. It was raining and Bucky was thankful that someone thought to put them in their boots while they slept. The two men ran, finally stopping in the middle of a road, cars drove past, honking their horns.

“I don’t think we’re in Europe anymore, Steve,” Bucky said as a group of big black vehicles surrounded them.

“At ease soldiers,” a voice said from behind them. They turned around to see a bald man in a long coat and an eye patch.

“Look, I’m sorry about that little show back there,” the man said. “We thought it best to break it to you slowly.

“Break what?” Steve asked.

“You two have been asleep, Cap,” the man said. “For almost 70 years.”

Steve faltered a bit, Bucky put a hand on his shoulder.

“You gonna be okay?” The man asked.

“Yeah,” Steve said with a slight nod. “Yeah, I just... I had a date.”

Steve and Bucky got into the back of one of the big black vehicles. A woman was driving and the man with the eyepatch got into the front.

“My name is Nick Fury,” he said. “I’m the director of SHIELD. Which is what the SSR became. This is Agent Hill.”

The woman made no acknowledgment that Fury was speaking.

“SHIELD?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. It stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division,” Fury replied.

“I can see why you shortened it,” Bucky said. 

“It was started not long after you two nose-dived the Valkyrie into a glacier. Thanks for that by the way. You saved America,” Fury continued.

“We just did what was right,” Steve said.

“Doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be thanked,” Hill commented.

“She’s right,” Fury said.

“Where are we going?” Bucky asked.

“Back to headquarters to pick up a few things. I figured you two would need some time to adjust and I know of the perfect place,” Fury replied.

Everyone was silent as Hill pulled into a parking garage. Fury was already getting out of the vehicle when she turned it off.

“Follow me,” he said.

Bucky and Steve looked at each other before following the man. He guided them through hallways full of people; some in suits, others in black gear and guns. Bucky didn’t like being surrounded by so many people that were armed when all he had was his fists.

They followed Fury into an elevator.

“What happened? After we...” Steve asked.

“A lot. I’ve got some files in the plane that you two can go over,” Fury replied.

The two of them nodded.

“Oh, and these,” Fury said pulling two newspapers out of his coat. He handed Steve one. “This one is from the day after you crashed the Valkyrie.”

Steve opened it up and Bucky looked over his shoulder.

“Captain America Dead,” Bucky read. “That’s depressing. I hope I’m mentioned somewhere in there.”

“And this is today’s newspaper,” Fury said handing Bucky the second paper.

“Color pictures? I’m convinced. We’re in the future, Stevie,” Bucky said.

“Read the date,” Fury said.

“April 17, 2012,” Bucky read.

“Bucky, je pense qu’ils pourraient dire la vérité,” Steve said.

“Oui, nous allons voir combien de vérité,” Bucky replied. 

“Je peux parler Français,” Fury said as the elevator stopped. 

“Well, shit,” Bucky said.

“I understand your apprehension. I would think less of you if you just trusted me right out of the box,” Fury said as he walked out of the elevator. They were now on a roof.

“Good to know we impressed you with our doubt,” Bucky muttered.

“We did all the health scans and tests we could while you were sleeping. Aside from the fact you weren’t awake, you’re both extremely healthy. We’ll do a physical and a psych eval when you get back,” Fury said.

“A psych eval?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. You’ll just talk to a doctor about any thoughts and feelings about things. And if that goes well, we’ll let you go,” Fury said.

“Let us go where?” Bucky asked. “I’m pretty sure they didn’t keep our old apartment empty and waiting for us.”

“We’ll figure that out. Right now you two need some time to decompress. Relax,” Fury said. “Hope you two don’t have a problem with flying, the only way to where we’re going is by jet, helicopter or walking. And I’m not walking,” Fury said as they approached a plane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't speak French, so I used the internet. Here are the translations, and if they're wrong. Blame the internet. 
> 
> Bucky, je pense qu’ils pourraient dire la vérité - Bucky, I think they could be telling the truth  
> Oui, nous allons voir combien de vérité - Yeah, let’s see how much truth  
> Je peux parler Français - I speak French


	5. And Three For a Dog

Hill walked into the office.

“Get them all settled in?” She asked glancing at the screen that showed Rogers and Barnes.

“As settled in as I could. I need an agent to debrief them when they get back,” Fury said.

“Can I ask why you didn’t debrief them before sending them to the Retreat?” She asked.

“It was Gardner’s suggestion. Give them a few days before piling the last 70 years on them,” Fury replied. There were few people that could question his motives that he would actually answer. Sometimes he would answer. Hill was one. Coulson was another. 

“You aren’t going to debrief them yourself?” She asked.

“I’ll do some of it. Someone else can teach them how to use a cell phone,” Fury replied.

“You left them in the middle of nowhere with no way to communicate with the outside world.” 

“They don’t need to communicate with anyone. I can see and hear everything they’re doing and saying,” Fury said. “Anything new on those Mandarin bombings?”

“Nothing so far,” Hill replied.

“Hulk?”

“No sightings since he went to India.”

“Banner?”

“In India. Helping people.”

“Stark?” Fury questioned.

“Behaving, Miss Potts is a good influence. The construction on Stark Tower is almost complete," Hill replied.

“That man just loves to call attention to himself. Has Romanoff checked in?”

“Yes. She said things were going well.”

“Good. How about Barton?” 

“He keeps sending me texts complaining of boredom. Are you sure we can’t let Romanoff communicate with him? She is much better at handling him than the rest of us,” Hill said.

“You can’t handle a few texts?” Fury asked with a grin.

“He sent 17 today.”

“Only 17? He's slacking off.”

“And one request for pizza.”

“Tell him to fill out a requisition form.”

“The last time he was told that he filed 39 requisitions for pizza, 43 for coffee that didn’t taste like lukewarm shit, and three for a dog.”

“I know. And it took him a week to fill them all out. By the time he was done, the mission was over and he was back here.”

“True," Hill said with a shrug.

“Anything else?”

“No one seems to be talking about Rogers or Barnes so it looks like no one knows that they’re up and about.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Okay. Well, you have fun watching the odd couple, sir.”

She turned to leave.

“I want your opinion on them,” Fury said.

“I filled out a report,” Hill replied turning back around.

“Do you think they’ll live up to their legendary status?”

“I don’t think anyone can live up to what they say about Captain America.”

“I suppose you’re right.”


	6. Flying Cars And Rocket Ships And Lasers

Fury opened the door to the cabin. 

“This place was built by Dr. Banner,” he said walking inside. Steve and Bucky followed him.

“We don’t know who that is, sir,” Bucky said.

“He has some anger issues and needed a place off the grid to relax,” Fury said in way of explanation.

“What grid?” Steve asked. 

“That is something I will explain later,” Fury said.

“I hope you’re keeping a list of all the things you need to explain to us,” Bucky said. 

“Oh, I am,” Fury said. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Bucky muttered as the other man opened the door. 

Fury nodded and left.

“Do you think he locked us in?” Bucky asked.

“Probably,” Steve said. He sighed and sat down on the couch. 

Bucky sat down next to him. 

The two of them sat in silence, staring at the wall, for quite awhile. Finally, it was Steve who spoke up.

“How did we survive?” He asked softly. “We shouldn’t have survived 70 years in ice.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. If I had to guess, I would say it was the serum,” Bucky said.

“But you didn’t..." He paused. "Hydra."

“They shot me up with somethin’. Maybe that’s what it was.” 

“Are you... I mean...”

“Look, Stevie, after you busted into that lab and saved me, I started noticin’ things. I could hear better. I could see better. I healed quicker. I was faster. So, yeah...” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Steve asked quietly.

Bucky looked at the floor.

“I didn’t want to admit that Hydra changed me. Hoped if I ignored it, it would all just go away. I should have told ya, though. I was being stupid.”

“Maybe you did take all the stupid with you,” Steve said.

“Nah. You kept some,” Bucky replied shooting Steve a smile. “I am kind of jealous, though.”

“About what?”

“You take this special serum and grow two feet taller and look like a god from them old stories. I get it and I look the same.”

“I am not going to feed your ego right now, Bucky.”

Bucky laughed.

“Fine. I know I was always good lookin’. At least I didn't end up with some fuckin' red skull.”

They were quiet for a few minutes.

“Do you think Howard ever figured out that flying car?” Steve asked.

“Probably. I can’t wait to see what all the future has.”

“You seem pretty excited.”

“I know waking up in the future isn’t gonna be all happy days. But, Steve, the future! It’ll be like all those science fiction comics we read! Flying cars and rocket ships and lasers!”

Steve couldn’t help but laugh. 

 

They were at the cabin for a week. They spent that week training, eating and sleeping. Not as much sleeping as the other two things though. 

When Fury came to take them back, they were both more than ready to leave the small cabin. 

They spent two days at SHIELD headquarters. They learned how to work new gadgets (both were very disappointed that there was no flying cars for them). And got checked out by various doctors. One confirmed Bucky’s suspicions that he did have a form of the super soldier serum. Another one just wanted to talk to them. 

After that, an agent took them to an apartment and said it was theirs. The agent handed Steve a stack of files before leaving. 

“What are those?” Bucky asked exploring the apartment. It was bigger than the one they used to have in Brooklyn before the war. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and living room. 

“Files. On the Commandos. And Peggy and Howard,” Steve replied looking through the labels on the sides.

“Oh. Shit,” Bucky said. He had been curious about their friends, but too scared to ask. 

“Should we read them?” Steve asked.

“Yeah,” Bucky said.

They sat down on the couch and spread the files out on the low table.

The next few hours were spent learning that their friends were all dead. 

“Next time we wanna know something, let’s just keep it to ourselves,” Bucky said.

“Yeah. I think that’s a better idea,” Steve agreed.


	7. Assessment

“Well, what’s your diagnosis?” Fury asked pouring two drinks.

“I’ll need more than one session to come up with a diagnosis,” Andrew replied.

Fury handed the other man one of the glasses. He sat down behind his desk but didn’t say anything.

Andrew took a drink of the scotch.

“At this point, I would say that they are both suffering from some post-traumatic stress, which is to be expected,” Andrew said. “I don’t know how severe it is yet.”

“Would you release them for field work?”

“Not yet. They need some time to adjust. Some place where they’re not watched,” Andrew said.

“I can’t just let them roam free,” Nick said.

“You can’t just lock them up. Let them roam a little bit,” Andrew suggested. “The two of them have quite a bit to deal with. You can’t push them, Nick.”

Fury didn’t say anything so Andrew continued.

“To them, it was just a year ago that Captain Rogers rescued Barnes from Hydra. A little over a week ago, Barnes almost fell from the train trying to capture Zola. And a week ago they stopped Schmidt and crashed the Valkyrie. They need some time.”

“I’ll take your suggestion into consideration.”

“Don’t rush them, Nick. I don’t want to turn on the news next week and see them fighting aliens or something,” Andrew said.

“I don’t want to rush them. I need them,” Nick said.

“Just remember, they’re people. Not tools,” Andrew said.

“I will.”

“Okay,” Andrew nodded. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen Phil.”

“He’s on assignment.”

“And not too happy to miss his hero waking up, I imagine.”

“That would be correct.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one was short, but I seriously just wrote it to make the "Don't wanna turn on the TV next week to see them fighting aliens" joke...


	8. Getting Back Into the World

Steve was working the punching bag while Bucky watched from a bench. Bucky was exhausted from already going a few rounds with Steve in the boxing ring. As well as their usual workout routine that they had made up for themselves. 

“Got some anger issues today, Stevie?” Bucky asked.

Steve just glared at him. 

“Maybe we should go out tonight. Hit a couple bars or something,” Bucky continued.

“Why? We can’t get drunk anymore,” Steve replied. They tried. Oh, how they tried that night after the read the files. 

“Because it’s not about getting drunk, Steve. It’s about leaving the damn apartment for more than this place!” Bucky shouted.

“I don’t want to leave the damn apartment!” Steve shouted back as he stopped punching the bag. 

“You need to Steve. God, you just sit there staring at the damn walls or reading those damn files. I’m sorry they’re gone. They were my friends, too. But they ain’t comin’ back. And every one of them would kick your fucking ass if they could see what you’re doing to yourself,” Bucky said.

Steve didn’t answer. He just went back to the bag. 

“I’m sorry, Stevie. I just don’t like seeing you like this,” Bucky said after a few minutes.

Steve didn’t let up until the bag snapped off the chain. Bucky didn’t say anything as Steve slowly walked over and picked another bag off the floor. Steve hung the new bag and began again. 

“Trouble sleeping?” Fury asked. Bucky was wondering when the man was going to say something. He saw the Director of SHIELD walk in a few minutes ago.

“We slept for 70 years, sir. I think I had my fill,” Steve said, not letting up on the bag. 

“Then you should be out. Celebrating. Seeing the world,” Fury continued, walking through the room. 

“When we went under, the world was at war. When we woke up, they said we won. Didn’t say what we lost,” Steve said walking away from the bag. 

“We’ve made some mistakes along the way,” Fury said. “Some very recently.”

“You here with a mission, sir?” Steve asked as he took the wraps off his hands.

“I am," Fury said. 

“Trying to get us back in the world?” Steve asked.

“Trying to save it.”

“Well, that’s how you get Captain America’s attention,” Bucky said.

Fury handed Steve a file. Bucky stood up on the bench and read over Steve’s shoulder.

“Is that?” Bucky asked as Steve flipped open the file.

“Hydra’s secret weapon,” Steve said.

Steve sat down on the bench by Bucky’s feet. Bucky continued to stand.

“Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think. The Tesseract could be the key to unlimited, sustainable energy. That’s something the world sorely needs,” Fury said.

“Who took it from you?” Steve asked closing the file. He glanced up at Bucky, who nodded. Then Steve handed the file back to Fury.

“He’s called Loki. He’s... Not from around here. There’s a lot we’ll have to bring you up to speed on if you’re in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know,” Fury said.

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me,” Steve said standing up. Bucky hopped off the bench and grabbed their gym bags. 

“Ten bucks says you’re wrong,” Fury said. “There’s a debriefing packet waiting for you back at your apartment.”

Steve picked up one of the still intact punching bags and began walking out of the gym, Bucky close behind.

“Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?” Fury asked.

“You should have left it in the ocean,” Steve said.

**Author's Note:**

> This all started with a random "What if...." text to my friend and it sort of got out of hand. I have a lot of stuff written up for a lot more chapters. Updates won't be regular, but I will update when real life doesn't get in the way.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: http://gingerann.tumblr.com/


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